Sexual Practices and Sexual Health Among Three Generations of Men in Bangladesh: Exploring Gender- and Sexuality-Assemblages

Abstract

Men’s self-understandings, identities and sexual practices vary widely, being influenced by age, social generation and historical and cultural factors. Despite this, only a few studies have explored the implications of men’s identities and sexual practices for sexual health from a social generational perspective, and none from within a South Asian context. To address this gap, this paper examines how men’s sexual practices vary by social generation in Bangladesh. Semi-structured interviews were used to elicit responses from 34 men belonging to three different social generations and living in three Bangladeshi cities. Of them, 10 men belonged to an older social generation, 11 belonged to a middle generation and the rest belonged to a younger social generation. Using sexuality-assemblage theory, this paper explores generational similarities and differences in sexual practices, and associated implications for sexual health. It suggests that the sexual practices of each social generation produced generation-specific sexual health risks and the possibilities of sexual pleasure.